IN The Community

Hamilton County officials had a total solar eclipse webinar on Monday night to educate the public to learn about their plans for April 8.

Organizers focused on a range of topics, including where to view the eclipse, and its impact on tourism and public safety.

One topic of concern was potential traffic. The executive director for Hamilton County Emergency Management says to be prepared, including leaving early and to assure the fuel tank is topped off. Shane Booker said, “We’ve seen from 2017, and it’s been consistent with those different communities that we’ve talked to all across the country, Kansas, Idaho, Washington state, Oregon. Many of them really dealt with serious traffic issues where a normal two-hour drive to try and get home turned into anywhere from six to 10 hours.”

Booker also says to pack plenty of snacks and water along with a way to charge electronic devices.

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We are now less than one month away from the spectacular total solar eclipse in central Indiana on April 8. A huge factor in the viewing of the eclipse will be the weather conditions that day. How have previous years faired with weather on April 8 in Indianapolis?

Cloud cover and precipitation

In the past 10 years, it hasn’t been the best with clouds on April 8 in our area. Half of the days reported average sky cover for the entire day of mostly cloudy to cloudy skies.

Unfortunately, only one year had sky cover under 50%, and that was just last year.

Remember, the clearer the skies, the more prominent darkness will appear during totality. With clearer skies, you may even get to catch a glimpse of some planets and stars.

Although average sky cover was partly cloudy on the entire day in 2017 and 2020, clear skies worked in around 3 p.m. If Indiana is dealing with the clouds this coming April 8, hopefully, we can see something similar to these years.

Yearly cloud cover around 3 p.m., April 8 stretching back to 1979.

In the last decade, some sort of measurable precipitation fell at the airport in Indianapolis in seven instances. Not the best stat if you are rooting for quiet weather for the eclipse.

Temperatures

Our average high on April 8 is 61 degrees. For the last 10 years, high temperatures have really been all over the place. Three times we’ve had temperatures in the 40s, but on the other side of the coin, three times we had temperatures above average in the 70s.

This wide range in temperatures is indicative of spring and any weather we can get during April.

Be sure to follow our forecast very closely as get towards the end of the month. You can find our latest forecast by clicking

here

.

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Looking for something fun to do this weekend? You’re in the right place! WISH-TV Events manager, Allan Haw, has a calendar full of things for you to do! Here’s what’s happening for the weekend of Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17, 2024. This week: The sweetest 5K in Indy plus St. Patrick’s Day and more from the WISH-TV Community Calendar! Let’s make it a great weekend and find out what’s going on “IN the Community”!

Events mentioned in this episode:

Circle City Donut Dash

March 16, 9:00am-12:00pm

Fowling Warehouse

1125 E. Brookside Ave

Indianapolis, IN

St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Tent Party Presented by the Hoosier Lottery

March 15, 9:30am-3:00pm

North Street between Meridian and Pennsylvania Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN

53rd Annual Pellegrini Festival of New Music

March 15, 4:00pm & March 16, 11:00am

Sursa Performance Hall

2000 W University Ave

Muncie, IN

Indiana Flower and Patio Show

Through March 17

Indiana State Fairgrounds

1202 East 38th Street

Indianapolis, IN

Shamrock Run & Walk

March 16, 9:00am-3:00pm

Indianapolis Fire Department Union Hall Local 416

748 Mass Avenue

Indianapolis, IN

“Acts of Faith” Community Art Project

March 16, 11:00am-2:00pm and 2:00pm-4:00pm

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art

500 West Washington Street

Indianapolis, IN

New Castle On Tap

March 16, 1:00pm-5:00pm

Arts Park Pavilion

218 South 15th Street

New Castle, IN

Charlie Parker's Yardbird

March 16, 7:00pm

Walker Theatre

617 Indiana Ave

Indianapolis, IN

WISH-TV Community Calendar

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he Children’s Museum of Indianapolis wants to give families an educational viewing experience for the April 8 total solar eclipse that’s out-of-this-world.Museum officials named their celebration of the cosmic event “Eclipse Extravaganza.”

Programming will focus on teaching kids the history and science behind the moment the moon and the sun align.

Don Riefler manages the museum’s science programming. He says the goal is to help kids understand this once-in-a-millennium occurrence.

“You don’t really understand it until you’re underneath the eclipse yourself,” Riefler said. “This thing…it just it seems like it shouldn’t happen but it does.”

Inside the museum, kids will be able to interact with telescopes and other science equipment. They’ll also get a chance to decorate their own pair of free eclipse glasses.

Meanwhile, outside in the Sports Legends Experience, cosmic yoga will prepare people for the skies darkening in totality at about 3 p.m.

“I’ve never been underneath a total one,” Riefler said. “What I’ve been told is it’s incredibly emotional. You react in ways you don’t expect.”

For families with plans to view the eclipse elsewhere, the museum will also hold programming on April 6 and 7 that includes hearing from NASA scientists.

“We’re learning about cutting-edge science, space science and astronomy from the people who are doing it, who are developing new technologies, who are working on putting people on the moon once again,” Riefler said.

Eclipse Extravaganza starts at 10 a.m. on April 8. The outdoor activities are set to start around 1 p.m.

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Conner Prairie is focusing on families and kids when it comes to their total solar eclipse programming to assure everyone has something to do come April 8.Andrew Bradford, vice president and chief advancement officer at the living-history museum, said, “We’re excited about the inclusive nature of what Conner Prairie can offer from a programming perspective whether it’s young children or adults who want to learn.”

Conner Prairie is bringing in kids’ science expert Rick Crosslin who will teach about the eclipse in a way children can understand.

Crosslin, the scientist in residence at the Wayne Township Schools district in Indianapolis, said, “I can make these cool things and learn about revolving and rotating, and have all this fun because I think it helps prepare us for this event.”

Crosslin, who has seen multiple solar eclipses, says Hoosiers can expect a big reaction when the time comes. “People are going to not believe it until you see it or feel it. I mean, can you imagine if we’re looking to the sky and it starts slowly (getting darker)? I guarantee you there will be a cheer. There will be a countdown, and people will all just stand there in awe.”

Conner Prairie is also looking at native American cultural traditions when it comes to eclipses.

Bradford said, “We have a chance to talk about the ways the Lenape people would have experienced an eclipse then, how they would have seen this. The ways in which the stars and the sun and the moon were honored in these communities and we’re going to be really excited to bring that to life.”

Plus, a real astronaut will be at Conner Prairie’s event. Families can expect to hear from Mark Brown, a Hoosier astronaut.

Find a list of Conner Prairie’s total solar eclipse activities on its website.

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he Holcomb Observatory at Butler University is preparing for the excitement of the total solar eclipse with a special show at its planetarium.

It’s an immersive show called “Eclipse: The Sun Revealed.” The presentation is split up into a half-hour short movie about eclipses throughout history and a walkthrough of what it will look like in central Indiana on April 8.

The full dome of the planetarium will be lit up with projections of the sun, moon and other objects people might be able to see in the sky.

Brian Murphy, director of the Holcomb Observatory, says the goal is to prepare audiences for what to look for on the big day.

“We want them, for instance, to look for the moon’s shadow coming at them at 2000 miles an hour from the west,” Murphy said. “Look for the diamond ring effect, look for shadow pans, look for Venus and Jupiter in the sky during totality. Look at the corona of the sun.”

During the cosmic event, the sun will only be in a total eclipse for a little over four minutes.

For that reason, Murphy says, people will also learn how important location is to one’s viewing experience.

“One thing we do want to stress with this show is that a 99% eclipse sun is still 0% totality,” Murphy said. “We want people to get in the path of totality and see that total solar eclipse.”

The shows run Fridays and Saturdays through the end of March. According to Murphy, they will ramp up the show to meet demand the week before the eclipse.

“Eclipse: The Sun Revealed” Showtimes

• March 8 – 9
• Doors: 7 p.m.
• March 15, 16 ,22, 23, 29 & 30
• Doors: 8 p.m.

Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for kids and students. Tickets are purchased at the door and no reservations are needed.

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On April 8, a total solar eclipse will be visible throughout the continental United States. Indianapolis is in the path of totality for the event, meaning the moon will completely block the sun.

Kait Baumgartner with Indianapolis Moms says the city is a “prime viewing area,” with many people expected to travel to our area to watch.

Anyone looking to plan for easily accessible and budget-friendly places to view the attraction can check out the following options that Baumgartner recommends.

White River State Park - Free outdoor festival

• 40 food trucks, vendors, art, and open green space for eclipse viewing
• Free glasses (first come first serve)
• Yoga and Tabata classes and brass quintet performance by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Civic Square in Carmel - Food and drink vendors

• Live musical performances
• Educational information
• Live updates from eclipse experts
• Free public event

Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Live broadcast from NASA

• Full day of programming and celebrations
• Educational STEM opportunities
• Merchandise
• $15 ticket prices
• Limited-edition solar eclipse glasses

Sun King Brewery (Carmel and Fishers locations) - Free Viewing Party

• 12 breweries and a special “Path of Totality) beer

The next solar eclipse won’t occur until the year 2153. For a full list of sites to view the eclipse, click here.

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White River State Park will be one of the biggest spots to watch the total solar eclipse as it passes over central Indiana on April 8.

The Lunacy! Solar Eclipse Festival is being planned in partnership with students studying tourism and event management at IUPUI, which will spilt into IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis in July.

White River State Park is offering almost all of its programming for free. There will be music, yoga classes, and food trucks among other activities. The full list is on the Lunacy! website.

There are some paid activities, including watching the eclipse from a boat on the river with Frank’s Paddlesport Livery.

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Millions of Americans on April 8 are expected to gaze up at the sky for the total solar eclipse, a memorable experience, and 300,000 are expected to converge on the city of Bloomington.

The Indiana University campus in Bloomington will be in the heart of it all. WISHTV.com first reported in early February about the fun coming to the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration at Memorial Stadium from 1-5 p.m. April 8.

Festivities include a DJ and live performances after the eclipse.

The Hoosier Cosmic Celebration features headliner Janelle Monáe, who will be live with her entire crew of dancers and singers to put on a full show, as well as William Shatner, who will speak to the crowd and also perform. The program is opened by Mae Jemison, who was the first woman of color in space, and so she’ll bring all of her experience as an astronaut to the audience.

There will also be events at Dunn Meadow, which is more of a student-centric program with a DJ and some food trucks, and then the arboretum on campus on 10th Street will host art-making and craft-making and all kinds of other science based activities for folks interested in having that experience.

According to NASA, the April eclipse will be the last total solar eclipse visible in the United States until 2044.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? You’re in the right place! WISH-TV Events manager, Allan Haw, has a calendar full of things for you to do! Here’s what’s happening for the weekend of Friday, March 1 through Sunday, March 3, 2024. This week: Ballet, Hockey, and film plus more from the WISH-TV Community Calendar! Let’s make it a great weekend and find out what’s going on “IN the Community”!

Events mentioned in this episode:

12 Dancing Princesses Ballet

March 02, 7:30pm-9:30pm

March 03, 2:30pm-4:30pm

Reardon Auditorium

1100 E. 5th St.

Anderson, IN

International Women's Month Celebration

March 01, 7:00pm-10:00pm

Indiana Farmers Coliseum

1202 E. 38th St.

Indianapolis, IN

Elegant Vintages International Wine Auction

March 02, 9:00am-4:00pm

Indianapolis Zoo

1200 W Washington St

Indianapolis, IN

Maple Syrup Days

March 02, 9:00am-3:00pm

March 09, 9:00am-3:00pm

McCloud Nature Park

8518 Hughes Rd

Melt the Trail

March 02, 10:30am

Grand Junction Brewing Co.

1189 East 181st Street

Westfield, IN

Euchre, Whiskey & History

March 02, 4:30pm-10:00pm

Athenaeum

401 E

Indianapolis, IN

PBR: Unleash the Beast

March 02 - March 03

Gainbridge Fieldhouse

125 South Pennsylvania Street

Indianapolis, IN

Earth Reels

March 03, 2:00pm-5:00pm

Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie

1258 Windsor St.

Indianapolis, IN

WISH-TV Community Calendar

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